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Anyone Golf Ball hunt?


jack19

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My local course has one particular hole that runs parallel to the road with thick bushland running all along it. Sometimes I'll have a walk along there. I always find at least 2-3 one-hit ProV1s. I've actually figured out the exact spot to find ProV1s based on the physics of an amatuer golfer coming over the top and the subsequent amount of side spin imparted on the ball!

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I love looking for balls, my record is 178 at The Cliffs Course on Possum Kingdom. There are a couple holes where u have a 200 plus carry to the fairway from the tips and if you are adventurous enough to get a little roughed up you will be greatly rewarded, lol

My kids love the extra balls to hit into the pond at the house

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[quote name='LouLogsdon' timestamp='1415924696' post='10443371']
I played the back 9 at my nearby course today and the 8th hole is a 360 yard par 4 with a 20 yard deep lateral hazard right in front of the green. As you can imagine, many balls end up in this hazard. After reading this thread yesterday I decided to hunt in this hazard since there was no groups behind me. I spent about 30 minutes searching and came out with about 60 balls, 20 of which were ProV1/1x. I'm gonna give it a whirl on some of the other holes tomorrow.
[/quote]

Do it a couple times a year and you'll never need to buy balls again. The money saved can go towards additional rounds or a new club.

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Since I tee off on white tee's, all i do is look to left and right on each side, maybe 1-2 yards deep in the brush and rough and will find about 2 or 3 balls a hole.. some people that play from the blue's shouldn't be there, but i don't mind and get to pick up a prov or two a hole.. really adds up and love trading them for a new club every month or so!!

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I do from November-March. The courses here in the Florida Panhandle aren't busy, the brush isn't as thick and most of the critters aren't out. The snakes, gators and black bears keep me out of the woods and away from the water the other months. I keep them and use them to chip around the yard. When I get a dozen or so of something I want to try I put them in the bag. By far the two balls I find the most of are ProV1s and Nike Mojo.

Cobra Fly-Z+
Cobra Amp Cell 3w/Cobra Rail F 5w
Cobra Amp Cell 2H
Mizuno MP-59
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Ping Anser 2

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A few years ago I showed up at my local course, without a tee time.

There was a tournament going out, so I hit balls on the range.

I still had about an hour to kill after my range session, so I hit the practice green for about 15 minutes untill I got bored.

At the time there was a wooded area about 50 yards wide between the 1st and 10th holes with a steep hill on one side.

The area had an assortment of fauna including poison ivy, swamp, and briars.

Once I got thru the thick stuff there were balls everywhere. I filled the pockets of my carry bag in about 15 minutes.

My main concern was having the strap break, as I carried the bag on my shoulder and supported the undersidde of the bag.

I emptied out the bag into my vehicle and went back to wait at the 1st tee, to play.

I counted 144 found balls when I washed them up that night.

Most of the area has since been dug out for a pond.

G400Max 10.5 Driver Red Velocore 6S
G410 5 Wood Tensei Orange stiff
Ping G410 Hybrid 22* & 26* Evenflo Black 6.0 stiff

Ping G Gap-6 iron Steelfiber i95 R.flex

Ping Anser 52* Steelfiber i95 R.flex
Cleveland CBX 56* Steelfiber i95 R fles
Callaway X Tour 59.5* Steelfiber i95 R.flex
Scotty Newport 2,  prov1x, Motocaddy M1

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[quote name='PZero' timestamp='1416185271' post='10457719']
[quote name='jack19' timestamp='1416069419' post='10451183']
really adds up and love trading them for a new club every month or so!!
[/quote]

Who do you trade them to?
[/quote]

I'd like to know too. I have a bunch to do something with.

Ping G400 10.5* driver
Ping G400 3 wood
Ping G400 3 & 4 hybrids
Ping i25 5-PW AW SW LW irons
Ping Sydney 34" putter
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Bridgestone Tour B330-RX ball

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  • 2 weeks later...

A buddy of mine who recently retired from the Fire Department took a part time job at a local course. Sometimes he is assigned to the marshal cart and he told me that while working he will wonder into the areas he and the other course employees call "the gold mines" - places where balls will go but people won't most of the time.

I don't recall the last time he purchased balls. And since the course is sort of high end he gets some really nice ones.

Funny thing is whenever I play with him there he has shown me the mines and it is incredible. You can walk a few feet into some brush and start picking.

Callaway Epic with Fujikura 62s in 45.25 set at 12.5*
Taylormade Rbz FW (17*)
Callaway X-Hot Pro 20* Hybrid
Callaway Steelhead 4-PW w/KBS 90s
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Titleist Vokey SM-6 56*
Titleist Vokey SM-6 60-08 M
Tad Moore TM-1 35"
Callaway Chrome Soft

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And now for something different:

I was discing an overgrown 3 acre parcel. Every now and then I'd see a "white rock" and get off the tractor to pick it up. Found nearly a dozen balls. Some were range balls, but none were of any quality.

Only guess is that someone was using the parcel for a mini-range and couldn't, or didn't, pick up the balls.

Only a "ball-ho" would climb off of a large tractor to pick up worthless golf balls. I just should have disced them under. But they do float to the surface on subsequent discing. It was just too tempting to check them out rather than to leave them there.

> Callaway GBB driver (set D, -1, 9.5°) w/Kuro Kage Black TiNi 50, R-flex, 45.5"
> GBB 5 wood w/Kuro Kage Black TiNi 50, R-flex (set D, -1, 17°), 42.5"
> XR 7 wood (21°), 9 wood (23°) w/OEM Project X LZ, R-flex
> Callaway XR 4-LW w/ Recoil 660, F3, +.5", 2° up
> Golf Pride CP2 Wrap grips (blue)
> Odyssey White Ice Mini-T putter 35"
> Pinnacle Gold or Wilson 50 Elite

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[quote name='jack19' timestamp='1413755860' post='10315943']
Anyone here golf ball hunt? what are some of your tips or secrets that you wouldn't mind sharing!




I love to hunt for golf balls any chance i get. I never do it when there are people waiting haha, i only do it while waiting for a green to clear or while on tee box. My favorite spots are right off the side of a tee box.. you wouldn't believe the hackers on the blue tees who dribble them 10 yards and don't pickem up!.. since i play from white tees, all i do is peak on each side of whites and WOW; i will at least find a couple on each side! And another place i love to check is simply off the fairways, lateral areas, ice plant(great ball swallower!!) and also the rough/ bushes behind greens are always loaded!!! Best of all, I traded 100 prov''s i found in about 3 months for a Krank Rage 5* LD driver that is over $100 plus a $300 shaft!!!

Let me know where you like checkin for balls!


Also, do courses ever let you just go out and search around through their lateral and hazard ares for balls if you ask? or is it a no usually? thanks
[/quote]
People looking for golf balls instead of concentrating on keeping up is one of the biggest reasons fr slow play. Old blokes are the worst offenders.

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[quote name='playa' timestamp='1417162656' post='10513039']
[quote name='jack19' timestamp='1413755860' post='10315943']
Anyone here golf ball hunt? what are some of your tips or secrets that you wouldn't mind sharing!




I love to hunt for golf balls any chance i get. I never do it when there are people waiting haha, i only do it while waiting for a green to clear or while on tee box. My favorite spots are right off the side of a tee box.. you wouldn't believe the hackers on the blue tees who dribble them 10 yards and don't pickem up!.. since i play from white tees, all i do is peak on each side of whites and WOW; i will at least find a couple on each side! And another place i love to check is simply off the fairways, lateral areas, ice plant(great ball swallower!!) and also the rough/ bushes behind greens are always loaded!!! Best of all, I traded 100 prov''s i found in about 3 months for a Krank Rage 5* LD driver that is over $100 plus a $300 shaft!!!

Let me know where you like checkin for balls!


Also, do courses ever let you just go out and search around through their lateral and hazard ares for balls if you ask? or is it a no usually? thanks
[/quote]
People looking for golf balls instead of concentrating on keeping up is one of the biggest reasons fr slow play. Old blokes are the worst offenders.
[/quote]

Not only that, but I've busted a few old cheapskates stealing my balls during play. It's infuriating!

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I ball hunt regularly, but only after my round. My course is pretty difficult with a lot of high brush along some of the fairways so people find those spots a lot. Typically, I'll play my round and for the last 45 mins/hour of daylight I'll go hunt on holes that are empty and that I know are hot spots. This time of the year the grounds crew cuts down all the high brush and balls are littered everywhere. The guys who work at the course make out big time but there have to be thousands on thousands of balls at my course.

One night I came away with 5 dozen prov1s/prov1xs, but I play 5/6 days a week and find at least 15/30 each round I look. All the other balls that I find I sell on eBay for a 1¢ starting price, or give them to various golfing buddies to give to their kids.

Dont really have any tips, but now is the time of the year to do it given that the ticks are gone.

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As Creedo77 stated, now is the time of year to look for golf balls if you enjoy doing that. The ticks and other creepy things aren't active like the summer time. My home course usually doesn't get much play this time of year so I'm not holding anyone up. In fact, the only time I look for balls is when I'm walking and playing solo.

I walked today and came out with 9 ProV(x) and 3 Lethals. Also came away with a dozen or so shag balls. I have a few acres at my home where I have my own personal driving range set up. I take care of most of the yard work and hope that my wife doesn't see my divot areas :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

At my home course, the 2nd hole par 3 is very deceptive. It looks longer than it actually is because of sloped fairways and big rising bunker. People often hit one club too long and overshoot the green.

There are these thick bushes that look impossible to hunt through, but if you lift the branch on the bottom, you can see underneath the whole bush. If you do this to a couple bushes, you'll find a ton of balls. That's where I get my shag bag balls from. It's great.

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  • 1 month later...

[quote name='nuthin but a hacker' timestamp='1416187747' post='10457955']
[quote name='PZero' timestamp='1416185271' post='10457719']
[quote name='jack19' timestamp='1416069419' post='10451183']
really adds up and love trading them for a new club every month or so!!
[/quote]

Who do you trade them to?
[/quote]

I'd like to know too. I have a bunch to do something with.
[/quote]

i trade them online, usually craigslist. I traded 5 dozen provs for a scotty and 9 dozen for a new Krank Long driver. useually sell them now to pay for golf and stuff, nice to make a little cash while in school..

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My home course eats balls pretty well. A buddy and i usually go out on Thanksgiving morning and Xmas morning and ball hunt. This past Xmas we filled one of those 30 Gallon rolling coolers. We usually wash em up and give em away, ebay the really nice ones or give em to a few of our friends that refuse to buy balls haha. This last haul we had over 100 ProV1 and ProV1x and most of them were in near perfect condition.

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I'm not a hunter but the other day we played & I realized I had 5 golf balls in my bag. Usually I have a pouchful, so I played the smartest & safest golf ever. I had to look for my ball twice and found 3 balls in the process.. A Pro V1, a Supersoft and a One RZN.

By telling myself to play like it was the last ball left in my bag, that Supersoft & I finished the last 15 holes together..

I don't play with one buddy because he hunts. I could show him that I have 2 dozen Nike Whites in my bag & he will still patrol the edges and offer me every $.30 lost, scuffed, waterlogged ball he comes across.

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  • 4 years later...

I golf ball hunt in a forest preserve woods that borders a long par 4 fairway. I average 40-70 balls in one visit per week.

Tips: Generally I find better balls in the woods than in the water hazards. Go to areas where right handlers slice. Get yourself one of those plastic golf ball pickers that old folks put on their putters so they don’t have to bend down and attach it to the opposite end of a telescopic ball retriever. Use it for reaching into bushes. Look adjacent to the front nine. More people play nine than 18. Go after senior Discount Wednesdays or after a ladies league. Go where the long hitters lose their drives. Don’t be afraid to go through the nasty brush. Go where other ball hunters won’t. Wear camouflage and don’t let anyone see what you are doing. You would be surprised how far right a slice will go. Look way off the course. Bring a sturdy draw string bag. A plastic bag won’t last in thick brush. Hide from the beer cart girl. She will rat you out to the greens keeper.

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Not particularly. Need to keep my mind focused otherwise I might forget what I am doing. But I did a little chewing gum and walking recently.

 

Met a nice elderly fellow on the course about three weeks ago apparently having a time playing and looking for balls, seemingly more the latter than the former. Caught up to him and he invited me through, but we first had a nice conversation before I proceeded. I hit close to the water on the next hole and came across four balls in great shape. Left them on the green for him - thought he might like that; but I knew I could not clean the mud from my shoes in the sink. My wife would not like that.

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